Coupling hitching link



July 7, 1936. c. E. DATH COUPLING HITCHING' LINK Filed Aug. 17, 1935Patented July 7, 1936 Charles Dath, Chicago, Ill., assignor to w. H.Miner, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August17, 1935, Serial No; 36,695 iiclaims'. (cl. ale- 210) This inventionrelates to improvements in hitching links especially adapted for minecars. One object of the invention is to provide a safety hitching linkcoupling means for cars which effectively prevents injury to theattendant while coupling said cars. 1

A more specific object of the invention-is to provide a couplingconnection for mine cars, comprising a link having ahand grip for manip-"ulating the same, wherein the operator is effectively protected.against injury by means of a guard or shield so placed with respect tothe link and coupling heads of the cars that it is impossible for theoperators hand to be acci- 'dentally caught between the'coupling'members when the cars are brought together in the coupling operation.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from thedescription and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing forming'a part of this specification, Figure l is avertical, sectional view through the end portions of two mine cars,showing the combined draft and buffing devices -thereof partly insection and partly in elevation,

and illustrating my improved safety coupling link means in connectiontherewith, said means being shown in section corresponding to the lineI-I of Figure 2. Figure 2'is a top plan view showing the safety couplinglink means detached from the cars. Figure 3 is an end "tions of two carshaving the usual combined draft and buffing means mounted thereon. Thedraft and bufling means of each car, which is of well-known design,comprising a bufiing head H, a draft member l2, and spring or othershock absorbing means, not shown, which yieldingly opposes inwardmovement of the bufling head and outward movement of the draft member.The combined draft and bufiing means is mounted in the usual housing I3fixed to the end of the car, and the draft member I2 is provided with acoupling head M in the form of a forked member, between the arms ofwhich the coupling link is adapted to be accommodated. As will beunderstood, coupling pins l5l5, which extend through openings in thearms of the coupling heads 14-44, are employed to anchor the connectinglinks to the draft members l2--l2.

My improved safety hitching link means comprises broadly a pair of linksA and B, which are swiveled together for relative rotation abouttheir-longitudinal axes, and a shielded hand grip C provided'on one ofsaidlinksy The link A is in the form of a loop having side arms I6l6connected atone'end by a curved section I! and connected at the otherend by a straight section l8. The straight section 18 is thickened atthe center and has an opening 19 therethrough adapted to accommodate anextension of the link B, hereinafter more fully described. 7 r V sThelink -B is also loop-shape, having side arms 20-20 connected bycurved end sections 2| and22. The section 22 is provided with anextension 23 in the form of a cylindrical stem which extends through,and is'journaled in, the

opening [9 of the link A. The two links are held together by a nut 24threaded on the outer end of the extension or stem '23 and bearing onthe inner side of the straight section I8 of the link A; The nut 24 ispreferably'locked by a pin a 25 extending through" the nut and the stem23.

The hand grip C, which is preferably formed integral with the' curvedend section'22 of the link B, comprises a shank member 26 which,

projects atright anglesv fromthel link 3,, a loop v25 or stirrup-shapedhand grip 21 at the outer. end of the shank, and a cuplike ordisk-shaped dished guard or shield 28 between the hand grip and theshank proper. The loop member 21 is preferably formed 'integral'with theshield 30 or guard, the side arms of'said loop merging with theperipheral 'portion of the fdisklike shieldl As will be seen uponreference to Figures 1 and"3,' the shank 26 is. of such a length thatthe hand,

grip 21"and the shield 28 are located 'quite' 5 a distance above thecoupling heads l4l4 of the draft members l2|2 when the cars are coupled.The spacing of the shield 28'from the top of the link B by theconnection of the shank therewith is such that the upper portion of the40 shield will be located appreciably above the coupling heads when. thecoupling connection formed by the links A and B is hanging down ordrooping in its extreme position when connected to one car only, wherebyit is impossible for the attendant to accidentally place his handbetween the coupling heads while raising the link means to operativecoupling position by means of the hand grip 21. The dished or cuplikeform of the guard or shield 28 presents a curved lower face on the guardwhich may have "camming engagement with the coupler heads when they arebrought together to cause said shield or guard to ride upwardly andprevent binding of the same between the coupling heads. 55.

A further advantage, of the dished form of the guard disk is that thehollowed portion thereof gives clearance to accommodate the hand'of theattendant 'while'gripping the part 21, thusmakmember on said gripwithout any risk to the appended hereto.

'ing it possible to employ a relativelyshort shank attendant.

I have herein shown and describedwhat l now consider the preferredmanner oficar'rying out my invention, but the same is merelyillustrativeand I' contemplate all changes and modifioathe scope of the claimsadjacent to said hand 'grip. a

2. A'coupling linkmeans for cars, comprising a link member, an armprojecting 'fromsaid m m r, a h d-sunshine o er d of d arm, and ashieldmember-on said arm inwardly of said hand grip and spaced from said link.a

a link member, an arm extending from said link member, said arm having ashield adjacent to arm outwardly beyond the shield.

a link member, a hand grip for said link, an

arm projecting from said linklvand connecting a and a shield betweensaid the hand grip thereto,

arm and link.

alinkfmember having ahand grip arm project- "a disklike shield inwardlyof ing'therefrom for manipulating the same, said hand'igrip armcomprising a shank portion extending from said link, a shield ontheouter end portion of, said shank, and a hand "grip member tendingtherefrom,saidarni including a. shank, a hand grip at the outer. end ofsaid shank, and

closely adjacent thereto.

7; A coupling link means for cars, comprisinga' link member 7 having amanipulating arm "extending therefrom, said arm including a shank,

5a hand grip at the outerend of said'shank, nd

a dished, disklike shield inwardly of said grip at the outer end of saidshank.

. 8. A'coupling means for cars, comprising a member having amanipulating 'arm' exhand grin.

3. A coupling link meansfor cars, comprising the outer end thereof, anda hand grip on said,

'4; A-coupling linkm'eans for cars, comprising '5. Afcoupling linkmeansfor cars, comprising 1 l I links and projecting at rightanglestherefrom,. a hand grip at the ou'ter end of said stem, and

having iorked coupling, heads, the combination a d b nd ran tendingtherefrom, said arm including a shank,

a hand grip at the outer end of said shank, and v an inwardly disheddisklike shield adjacent to said hand grip between said grip and shank.g

9. A coupling link means for. cars, comprising 7' a link member having amanipulating arm ex- 7 tending at right angles therefrom, said armincluding a shank, a handgrip at the outer end of said shank, and adislike shield inwardly of. said hand grip, spaced from said link andhav-, ing the side thereof remote from said hand grip rounded;

of said shankfa'nd'a platelike shield betweensaid hand grip-and shank,said shield being hol-' lowed out at the side thereof adjacent to'said'11 A coupling link means, comprising a link member, an arm extendingfrom said link memher, a platelike shield at the outer end of said arm,and a looplike, hand grip connected to said h d- I 1 V 12. A couplinglink rneans for cars, comprising alink member having a manipulating arm,extendingtherefrom, said arm including a. shank,

a stirrup1ike hand grip at the outer endrof said j hand'grip and closelyadjacent thereto.. v 13. A coupling link means, comprising a'pair oflinks-connected at the ends for swiveling movement about theirlongitudinal axes, an up standing stemiorrned integral with one of saidshank, and a cup-shaped-shield inwardly of said a, shield, memberbetween said stem and hand p: Y '14. In a. couplingmeans for connectingcars with a pair of links connected at the ends for relative swivelingmovement about their long'is tudinal axes; of coupling pins; forconnecting said links tosaidlheads; an] upstanding arm at one endofronejof said links; aphand grip at the inwardly of saidhand grip, thespacing between.

spacing betweenfithe top of the coupling, head} andf'thel link atsaidstem when said link in:

its extreme drooping position while connected to of i h e wn outer endof said arm; and ya disklike shield onsaidshank spaced from saidlink anddisposed 7 CHARLES E. DATH.

